The following story is part of our Volunteer Spotlight series, celebrating alumni whose time, leadership, and dedication strengthen the Queen’s community around the world.
Through these stories, we recognize the many ways volunteers contribute – through mentorship, branch leadership, advocacy, or events. By sharing their experiences, we hope to express our gratitude, highlight the impact of volunteer engagement, and inspire others to get involved.
When Jacquelyn Platis, Artsci’17, and Alexei Mojeiko, Artsci’19, toured Canadian universities in search of a place for their post-secondary studies, Queen’s stood out to both of them for its unmatched “community, camaraderie, and school spirit,” says Platis.
They each enrolled – Platis in international development, with a minor in film and media; Mojeiko in economics – and found that Queen’s fully delivered on its promise of fostering connection. “Among my peers who have degrees from other universities, the school-spirit part differentiates us,” says Platis. “Those who went to Queen’s all share a pride in completing that degree and being part of that community.”
Since becoming co-presidents of the Queen’s Alumni Toronto Branch in May 2025, Platis and Mojeiko are nurturing that sense of pride and belonging within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Their focus is on curating a diverse series of events that reflects the variety of interests among alumni – a mindful approach, given that their Branch serves the region with the largest population of Queen’s graduates. “We spend a lot of time speaking with event attendees, getting feedback, and really trying to understand what this vast group is looking for,” says Mojeiko.
Last year’s events included a cosy Welcome-Back night at The Corner Place, for recent grads and alumni new to Toronto, and a Tricolour Comedy Show at The Second City – an event so popular, they had to schedule back-to-back performances that night. On March 21, the branch also hosted two sold-out International Women’s History Month lagree classes at Studio Lagree on King Street West. These complimentary sessions for women and gender-diverse alumni were led by Platis in a welcoming environment for all fitness levels. The event celebrated the leadership, impact, and resilience of women and gender-diverse alumni in Toronto while fostering connection and community. Now, the co-presidents are gearing up for an exciting 2026 lineup, which they will be announcing soon.
While the details aren’t yet public, they can share this: each event will offer a touchpoint for the Queen’s “forever-connection,” as Platis calls it – a lasting kinship among alumni of all ages, across all programs. Says Mojeiko, “(Our events) are an opportunity to create that feeling of being back at Queen’s, where you’re walking down University Avenue or Johnson or Princess, and you just see those familiar faces … Sometimes, when you move to a big city, you lose touch with that sense of community. It’s each branch’s job to recreate that feeling of Queen’s and Kingston, in their respective cities.”
An alumni branch is a regionally based, volunteer-led network that serves as a local hub for connection and engagement. Branches create opportunities for alumni to build lifelong relationships, participate in volunteerism, and give back to their communities and to Queen’s, while supporting educational excellence. Each branch is led by an executive team of alumni volunteers who strengthen Queen’s presence in their region and foster a vibrant, connected alumni community.
Mojeiko and Platis first engaged with the Queen’s Alumni Toronto Branch as event attendees. Having launched their careers – Platis as a sustainability and ESG leader, Mojeiko as a management consultant in emerging financial technologies – both were hungry for a taste of the Queen’s dynamic in Toronto. Impressed by the Branch’s networking events, they saw the potential to bring their own expertise and passion to the table. So, when the call came for new leadership volunteers, they were keen to get involved.
Now they’re working hard to show Toronto-based alumni everything Queen’s has to offer, even after they graduate – and even if they weren’t particularly social at university.
“There is an opportunity for your voice to be heard at our Branch,” says Platis. “Not just in attending the events, but in letting us know what types of events you want. We are so open and flexible to accommodating the desires of the alumni community and making sure that what we’re doing resonates with them.”
For those who want to get involved – in Toronto or at branches around the world – there are opportunities to connect with Queen’s grads or attend events near you. And for those who simply want to revisit the Queen’s connection? In Platis’s words, “We hear you, we see you, and we look forward to welcoming you at our upcoming events.”
Want to learn more? Visit Queen’s Alumni Branches or email alumni.branches@queensu.ca.
